The mast lights sway in the gentle slap of the waters in Fenit Harbour, twinkling through into Kate and Brian Dillon’s sitting room in County Kerry. The three-metre-high picture windows that let in this calming play of light are a new addition to their home, part of a contemporary extension.
Built in 1908 by Brian’s grandfather, the farmhouse originally faced away from the views, which also take in the Slieve Mish mountains and the white wooden blades of 19th-century Blennerville Mill. It seems unfathomable to be facing the opposite direction, but that is where Kate spent most of her time, in a kitchen looking onto a road.
It was the birth of their third child that finally prompted her and Brian to rethink their home, to take advantage of those extraordinary views and create more space and storage for their burgeoning family. Working with Brian’s cousin, architect John McKenna, from his home in Toronto, the team spent long evenings during pandemic lockdowns perfecting the design.
What's everyone reading?
‘John grew up with Brian; he knows the farm buildings and the landscape, and that influenced his ideas,’ explains Kate. ‘He wanted to blend the old with new.’ An angular extension was attached to the back of the original two-storey rectangular home, unfolding from the new hallway out to the south to maximise the panorama and connection to the old building via a sheltered courtyard.
Working with Susan McGowan, interior designer at Ashen & Cloud, the plan was to pull the traditional farmhouse elements into the modern annexe, using heritage materials, brass elements, timber rafting and stone.
Susan chose limewash paint for the walls, to add warmth and texture, and a spectacular steel balustrade (painted a bold, matte Venetian red in homage to the corrugated steel roofs of the farm buildings beyond) sweeps from the double-height entrance hall, along the landing and into the older part of the house.
The house sits on the Wild Atlantic Way, so named for its tempestuous weather, and the new south-facing kitchen looks onto the windswept tufts of gorse that decorate the sides of the mountains. ‘It was important that it felt like it was in the Irish countryside,’ adds Susan, ‘so spaces were conditioned to coexist with the often moody and temperamental coastline nearby.’
Finally, Kate and Brian’s family home is connected to its surroundings. ‘It’s very restful,’ says Kate, smiling. ‘I find it almost meditative watching the changing landscape in all weathers, it is beautiful; foggy, stormy, rainy, sunny. You almost don’t need art – the art comes from the nature outside and the ancient feel of it.’ ashenandcloud.com
